Explain how we can compare the various creation accounts found in Babylon, Egypt, and other ancient Near Eastern civilizations? What is a deity’s role in ordering the world? What is the human response?
-What is the “story” of the creation? (briefly – don’t restate the whole story, but summarize each
story)
-Who is in charge? Who are the players? What does the myth tell us about how each society
viewed “the creator”?
-How is space being defined?
-What is created, and what is omitted?
-What is the purpose of contradictory creation threads within the same narrative?
-What is the role humans play in maintaining creation?
Ø You must use examples from primary sources: Bible, Enuma Elish, Memphite Theogony
(you should add to this from other represented texts, but all three sources mentioned
above must be included). USE THE TEXT to support your answers! Most of your
source material should come from the primary sources, but you can use Assmann,
Jacobsen, and the Silverman and Lesko chapters in Shafer (as well as the primary
sources used in these texts).
Ø NO FAITH STATEMENTS: this is a secular class and the material must be presented
from a secular perspective.
Tips:
– Make sure you have a clear introduction and conclusion, with your thesis stated clearly
in the first paragraph
– Refrain from using “I,” as in “I think,” “I see that” etc.
– Italicize titles of books
– Check spelling, grammar, word usage, punctuation
– Make sure that your quotes are documented appropriately
– The paper must be submitted to Turnitin to be graded
– A paper without any primary sources will be given a failing grade, and no chance for rewrite
– A paper without a works cited/bibliography will not be graded
– A paper without all three traditions represented will be given a failing grade
– A plagiarized paper will be given a failing grade for the class.
– BE CAREFUL WITH SOURCES!
A paper turned in on time will be allowed a re-write, given that it is a full paper and not
draft, and that it meets the above criteria. A paper turned in late will still be accepted but
will lose re-write options.
Also, remember the guidelines relating to what is not allowed: blogs, pseudoscience-based
sources, websites ending in .com, websites designed by individuals without university
affiliation, material designed for a K-12 audience, lecture notes found on the internet from
other professors’ lecture notes or those of a high school teacher, student papers posted on
school websites, Khan Academy, material that is marketed for the general public (although
you may be able to find better sources in the bibliography), general encyclopedias,
especially Wikipedia (but look to the bibliographies), most archaeological material that was
published before the 1970s, as it does not reflect current scholarship
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